Dance Baby, Dance
by Self-Inflicted Insanity
Summary: Dance baby, dance, like a new year's beginning. (Kate at the New Year's party at the end of Young Avengers (2013) #14-15. Kind of a companion fic to "Basic Multidimensional Cadet Theory" and "It's New Year's, Apparently!")


**AN: This takes place at the New Year's party at the end of ****_Young Avengers (2013) #14-15. _**

**This fic is kind of a companion to "Basic Multidimensional Cadet Theory" (part of the New Year's party from Noh-Varr's POV) and "It's New Year's, Apparently!" (part of the New Year's party from Tommy's POV), but you by no means have to read those fics to enjoy this one.  
**

**Title for this fic inspired by the first part of the song "Knights Of Shame" by AWOLNATION.  
**

* * *

**Dance Baby, Dance**

Kate paused as she strode away from Noh-Varr. "You know... the girl of your dreams?" she said, turning her head to look back at the shirtless, gorgeous, adorable white-haired alien who was now quite officially her ex. "You had her."

He looked so forlorn standing there far from the edge of the crowd, headphones around his neck and thumbs in the pockets of his gray jeans, watching her walk away. He maybe even looked regretful. Actually, he looked like he felt awful. _Good._ He _should_ be feeling awful.

"And you were so locked inside your head you didn't even notice." She watched him, searching for a shift in his face, the evidence that he was hurting at least as much as she was. It was all true, what she'd said—they'd been perfect together, they really had been. But he couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted and he'd made unforgivable errors, and now they were over. He was always so dreamy—

"_Hey! Kate Bishop!" _

Kate's drinked fell out of her hand as someone grabbed her arm, tugging her towards the crazy, energetic mass of people on the dance floor.

"It's New Year's, apparently! Why are you not dancing?"

"Tommy!" she exclaimed, as she recognized the white shock of hair, the Billy-esque face, the orange goggles, the lean body in a tight-fitting green and silver suit. "You're... alive!"

She stared in astonishment as he danced like nothing had ever happened to him.

"What are you... doing... and here?" she faltered.

He was gone, they'd spent the last few months chasing a creepy creature in Patriot's suit trying to get Tommy back, but though they'd saved the world they still hadn't been able to get Tommy back. He was gone. Or at least, he _had been _gone. But now he was standing right there in front of her and dancing animatedly and adorably like only Tommy can.

She couldn't wrap her head around it._"How are you here?!" _

"Sorry!" Tommy called, eyes closed and grinning as he rocked out to the beat like it was the best thing in the world. "I can't hear you over my awesome dancing!"

Kate stared at him in amazement, confusion, stupefaction. "Why... are... you... here... why?"

Okay, Kate, pull it together. Tommy's here, and he's dancing, and have you ever noticed just how attractive he was?

"…You know," Kate suddenly grinned, pulling off her mask, "I really don't care." She jointed Tommy on the dance floor, wrapping an arm around his neck and kissing him on the cheek, a smile in her eyes. "Happy New Year."

* * *

Tommy was dancing like the world was ending, like it was the last night he'd be alive and he planned to make the absolute best of it and not waste a single second.

No, Kate thought—Tommy wasn't dancing like the world was ending, he was dancing like a new year was beginning, a fresh start.

It was a new year.

It was a new year, one of Kate's favorite songs was playing so loud she could feel the bass in her sternum, and she was dancing with this gorgeous white-haired boy who seemed to know better than anybody how to live in the moment and just enjoy it.

She could move on from Noh-Varr, forget about what they could have had and focus on what she had now.

She was twenty-one. She was young, she was alive, she had the greatest group of friends in the world, and she was a superhero.

What wasn't to celebrate?

Kate let go and danced like a new year was beginning.


End file.
